Improvement in haevestees



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WILLIAM N. W-HITELEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, HIO. Latem 'Patent No. 71,255, had November 19, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT 1N HARVESTERS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. WHITELEY, of Springfield, in the county of Clark, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pitman-Connections; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of my invention.

Figure l2 is a sectional view of the pitman-joint at the heel of the cutting apparatus on the line y y.

Figure 3 isa side elevation of crank-wrist.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the same ou line x. l

My invention relates to the joints st the two ends of aipitman or connecting-rod, and is peculiarly adapted to harvesting machinery where the reciprocations are exceedingly rapid and violent, and the friction very great, though it is equally applicable to any other class of machinery in which connecting-rods are employed.-

For convenience, it is exhibited as employed in a harvesting machine; and it consists, first, in the stop which prevents the cutter from being withdrawn from the guard-iingers; second in the jam-nut and plates to prevent the looseningof `the clamping-bolt; third, in the construction of the rocking-box at the crank-wrist end of the pitman.

`That others may fully understand the construction and operation of my invention, I will describe it.

A is the pitman or connecting-rod, and Bis the crankfwheel. C is the cutting apparatus of a harvester. The pitman A is provided with the branches D E, at that end which is connected to the heel of the cutter. The

joint'at this end of the pitman is a double conical or conoidal joint, as shown, andthe cones may be either upon the branches D E, projecting inward into corresponding sockets formed in the lug F, or they may-be placed uponithe lug F and project outward into or through' sockets formed in the branches D E. In this application they are represented as projecting from the branches into sockets in the opposite sides of the lug F, itA being in eect'immaterial in which the joint is constructed. Thebolt G, or its equivalent, is' employed to prevent any lateral movements of the ends of the branches, which might permit the cones to withdraw from their sockets either wholly or partially.

It has always been found necessary in harvesting lmachines to provide some device which should prevent the withdrawal of the cutters from their position within the slots of the guard-iingers, especially when the cutting apparatus should be folded upon the frame for transportation, audit has also been necessary to construct this holding device so that the cutter could be withdrawn readily when the pitman should be uncoupled from it,

To accomplish this purpose readily and with certainty, without the intervention of any spring or hinged parts, I havo secured'to the end of the pitman. a stop, H, which projects laterally therefrom, and the flange I, which projects vertically from the upper surface of thc inner shoe of the cutting apparatus, in such a position that the pin H will come in contact with it, and stop the further movement ot' the cutter in that direction. The head of the bolt G may form the stop II, as shownlin the tig. 2, and said bolt may pass back ofthe lug F, asis shown in the iig. 1, or it may pass through the axis of the cones which form the joint, as shown in g. 2.

Whe'n the bolt Gis removed, or the binding-nut slackened oif, the branches D E may be moved asunder, 's0 as to remove the cones from their sockets and disconnect the pitman from the cutter, after which the cutter may be slipped out of its slots in the guard-fingers and entirely removed, there being no other stop to prevent so doing except the stop H; Y

The bolt G must regulate the position of the cones ofthe joint with the utmost nicety, otherwise the joint will be loose, and the advantage of theemploym'ent of the conos will be neutralized, or the friction will be too great. It is, therefore, necessary to employ a jam-nut.

`A jam-nut as ordinarily used is unreliablein this place, for two reasons: first, in setting it up hard against the under nut, lthe latter may also be moved a little, suiiicient to render the` joint too tight; and, second, the violent movement and constant jar of the pitman and its connections will cause these nuts, if bearing against each other, to work loose, when the attendant may suddenly find the pitman free from the cutter, and perhaps serious damage done to his machine. These difficulties I obviate by placing between the under and jam-nuts a plate, J, whichis loosely secured to the pitman, so that the jam-nut only exerts a direct pressure upon the under nut, and cannot torce 1t to turn in the least. The jam-nut itself being forced against the unyielding surface of the plate J will be less liable to work loose by the jar ofthe pitman while the machine is in operation.

The, points of the guard-fingers are constantly liable to change inl their inclination to the surface of the ground, and every such change must cause a movement of the -pitman upon its own axis, and this will neeessarily cause the hearingsrat the ends to bind, so that more power will be required'to drive the machine, and the abrasion o i the journals must also be increased. The pivotedbox K, at the crank-end of the pitman, is therefore employed, said box being pivoted upon two points,.which are coincident with the ,axis of the pitman.

The box K is hung within the ring L, which is cast in one piece with the remainder of the Pitman-head. The pitman screws into the neck of the ring L, as shown in fig. 4, and 'the box K is enclosed within the same ring, and pivotcd between the conical end of the pitman, or upon a fixed point inserted for the purpose, and the conical end of the adjusting-screw M inserted through the opposite portion of the ring, as shown. Jamnuts are required on both pitman and adjusting-screw to retain them in their proper positions. The wristpin N may be either straight or conical, and the .latter form may be preferable, though not so represented in the drawings.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A projecting stop-pin, H, or its equivalent, on the pitman, which, when folding the cutter-bar, will come in contact with a. stationary part of the guide-bar or shoe, and prevent the knife from running out of the shoe, as set forth. l

2. A plate, J, secured at one end to the pitman, and placed between the under and jam-nuts on a clampingbolt, as and for the purposes described and set forth.

3. In combination with the nitman A of a harvesting machine, the solid ring-head L, -as and for the pub pose described.

WILLIAM N. WHITELEY.

Witnesses:

Tnos. J. PRINGLE, CHAs. EVANS. 

